I keep getting “Electric potential” questions wrong in Electrostatics. What's the trap?
thinking zero field means zero potential (or vice versa).
The usual trap: thinking zero field means zero potential (or vice versa). How to avoid it: potential is a scalar — just add contributions with sign, no directions. Go back to the definition — the work done per unit charge to bring a charge from infinity to a point, V = kQ/r.
Key point
Electric potential
Common mistake
thinking zero field means zero potential (or vice versa).
Memory tip
potential is a scalar — just add contributions with sign, no directions.
Tap to watch or see it right here — the app stays open (it only opens a quick search if nothing embeddable is found).